Aaargh why is it so difficult!

It seems so easy from our point of view, we pick out a player, hear what the asking price is and think 'yep, I'll have some of that, but maybe we should knock it down a touch', or 'nope, I would not touch him with yours for that amount'.

But what do we know we are only fans - our money only goes towards helping us buy players and pay them!

When Harry Redknapp signed Djimi Traore in January I was not best pleased and expressed these views with an article. I ranted and raved about him not being a good enough signing and why had Redknapp signed him. I later calmed a little and retracted some, with my thinking if he was that bad he would not have played as many times for Liverpool as he had, also saying who are we to question Redknapp after all he has done here.

After seeing Traore I am still not that sure on his abilities as a footballer, but he is a decent enough squad player but I do think it is possibly time to question Redknapp a little more - don't get me wrong I love the fella but sometimes, just sometimes you need to try things a little differently.

Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind, Redknapp likes a gamble so why is he so reluctant to take one with us and go out and get a goalscoring striker - he does not have to abandon his policies but why not have a little flutter?

He has explained why he thinks he can ill afford it, but the alternatives are not looking that much more promising really - if at all.

The tried and trusted route can only work for so long, sometimes you have to try something new and trying Marlon Harewood or maybe even John Utaka - not that I know too much about this fella really - is not something new, Harewood is someone Redknapp knows from seeing around the game for years, Utaka is a previous target who is resurfacing as others disappear - so someone he has watched for a while but decided not to go for before, so why now? Answer, because he is known to him.

Pretty much every striker we have been 'seriously linked' with is from this same mould, Jermaine Defoe - known to him personally from his time at West Ham same went for Fredi Kanoute. United outcast Alan Smith - known to him from his time in the English game, Mark Viduka, Robbie Fowler and so on and so on all the same, even Yakubu - known to him from his time here.

Those not so well known to him - that you can argue are the better options - the likes of Roberto Colautti, Luis Fabiano, Giampaolo Pazzini not so well known but surely worth a gamble?

Would they be much more of one than Harewood or Utaka - would they even cost much more? Could we even get Colautti plus one of the other two for a few million more than it would cost for Harewood!

The players actually have to want to sign also, but why would players not want to sign? Lets have a go and see where it gets us before they are written off.

We splashed out £7million to sign Sulley Muntari, a household name in Italy and to a lot of European, certainly African nations but even several of my friends do not even know who he is! Again though he is a player Redknapp tracked for a year, so was known to him. He will be a great player for Pompey, but unless we pay something similar we will not get a quality striker it is that simple.

We cannot be held to ransom but for the penny pinching - or should I say million pinching - lets not keep missing out on people and lets go for strikers that will score us goals, even if this means taking a calculated risk - they do not always have to be known to you to be good.

You cannot have it both ways can you - you cannot expect to pick up a goalscoring striker if you will not pay the price, if you will not pay the price you have to take the 'gamble' route - which my thinking includes going for a player that is well known to you for a serious amount of money that is known for not scoring that many goals!

Come on Redknapp splash the cash, lay a bid somewhere in the region of £6-10million and get this 20 goal a season striker we all want.

Leroy Lita has been mentioned a few times - ideal candidate, young, hungry and can score goals, £6-8million would get him do you not think? The names are there - if we pay the price.

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Before I say anything else, I want it to be clearly understood that I am a very staunch Harry Redknapp supporter and was the most pleased out of all supporters when he came back from his mad moment in St. Faries Home for the Frail and Insane.

Now, in contrast to that, I personally feel that the problem with us not signing a high profile, high standard and recognised goalscorer is not actually because it would cost at least £7million, but because it will mean Harry would have to sign someone for £7million. By that I mean that Harry has become rather gutless and is scared of signing anyone who will cost that in case it doesn't work.

At the moment, any of the players that Harry has signed will be punching a little above their weight, with exception to one or two such as Sol or Jamo. Harry has not got the bottle to sign anyone who is worth that sort of money because it will put more pressure on him for the side to do better. In addition, with players of far less ability and commanding a far lower transfer fee, Harry can say at the end of the season that "Pompey are only a small club, how can anyone expect too much from them?", thus relieving himself from any responsibilities should the side not perform as we would expect it to.

If Harry has not got the strength of character to be bold enough to sign a highly regarded and much needed, no scrap that - desperately needed - goalscorer then perhaps he has taken this club as far as his ability allows? He has pulled of some wondrous signings in the past, but how many of them have been young players who are going to stay for a while, rather than those in the twilight of their career?

Harry loves a flutter, allegedly, so now is the time to take the biggest gamble of all and spend some quality money on a quality goalscorer for a quality price.

Harry has indeed got it wrong this time. He's saying that he can't afford to gamble because we need a proven striker right now (which is right), but then he won't pay 7m for Nugent, or 12m for the Yak saying it's too much. He can't have it both ways - the very fact that a striker is proven means he will cost a lot - you want proven you gotta pay for it, simple. I do think he will get a couple in though eventually, and don't forget there are 9 weeks of shopping left.

Every purchase is a gamble & the risks are higher when its really big dosh. However risking going down 'cause we ain't got a goal scorer is a huge gamble. Even if the striker fails, his value ain't going to collapse not if WH rate Harwood at £5m.

it is really starting to do my head in now splash the cash, take a risk and we'll all be laughing this time next year! yep, agreed it is time to stop this 'we are a little club' talk isn't it fellas. we are compared to others but we will remain that way unless a pair is grown and we fork out big money - we did it with muntari, do it with others... we will be lucky to even match what we did last season if we dont break the bank to sign a striker or 2... it might not pay off - you have to be practical - but why think that way, positive thinking can go a long way too... good luck to harewood but with leon best heading out of scum i would rather 'arry went back to scumhampton again to pick him up for a tenth of the price he would pay for harewood - afterall he would get the same results from him...

If we leave it til the end of the transfer window, it will give harold another 'get out' if the signings go wrong - "Well, you know, he works hard, does a job of work for us but he needed a full pre-season, the boy's not fit", etc, etc. blah, blah, blah. I'm desperate for this all to be Harry Spin but my heart tells me it's not and that it really will be 'kin Harewood and a re-call for Cole or some other aging, overpaid ex footballer.

Good article, PR and an excellent psychological profiling of HR - and one I agree with entirely. And I would add this; that 7+ million for a midfielder can be justified in many obvious and subtle ways EVEN if he looks crap. A striker though is a different proposition. If he don't score, he's no good. Look at all the weekly guff we've had from Hal with Benjy. An excellent player but no striker and so we get the usual stuff from Harry like, "Runs his socks off", and "know what you are going to get from him", blah, blah. So thats why Harry can't get past the hangup of maybe being wrong and so wrong he can't talk his way out of it. Dr Et_tu_Pompeii is in.

excellent article...do you think 'arry wil read it? lets hope he does, and gets the hint. W have a choice at the moment: Dont sign a decent striker, and not do that well, or take a gamble, and have the chance of doing better. Its clear that Harry wants to go for the former. AND, we have to stop this talk of little club. we have just put forward plans for one of the most ambitious stadiums in the country - not somthing a little club would do.

oh, and i just read an article off trible football that made me laugh...the first line "Manchester City are moving for Portsmouth striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni." - is there somthing we dont know yet? ounds good :)